News About This Theater

The Manchester Cinema I & II opened in March 1973, seating 300 in its twin auditoriums. This was another one of the twin theatres opened by Mid America Theatres (Komm Theatres). It was located in the Manchester shopping plaza.

Small lobby with the ticket booth to your right as you come in the concession counter next to the ticket booth and the rest rooms next to that. Auditorium one was the first on the left and two right next to it. Seemed that the Jablonovs were really into red and brown, all the twin theatres that they built had the same layout and the same decor.

I saw many shoes here when it was a dollar theater and I could walk there from my mom’s house. There was a large grocery store in the same shopping center, so the place got a lot of traffic. I believe it is a dance studio now.

I was an “original usher” there. Started at 14yrs old. The manager, Jim Barrow, thought I was 15. The very first movie there was Jerimiah Johnson, if my memory serves me correctly. It was a blast to work there. Wish I knew where all the other folks moved on to. Bill Weaver